View: Dyche must make brave decision on Everton ace amid impending 'Selection Dilemmas'

Sean Dyche must make a brave decision and start Jarrad Branthwaite for Everton against West Ham United on Saturday.

Toffees fans have been calling for Branthwaite to return to Dyche’s starting XI ever since he returned to full fitness.

However, rather than starting the Englishman against Southampton last Saturday (2 November), he chose to bench the 22-year-old and stick with the partnership of Michael Keane and James Tarkowski.

In fairness to the 53-year-old, Keane and Tarkowski have put in a more than decent shift over the last few weeks and although he may not want to disrupt their ‘mojo,’ Branthwaite’s integration into the squad would help shore up Everton’s defensive line tenfold.

The form of the veteran duo has surprised many and Ian Kennedy doesn’t know which path the 53-year-old is going to take against Julen Lopetegui’s men.

“He will also need to decide if Jarrad Branthwaite comes back into the starting line-up,” he wrote for the BBC Sport website (6 November).

“You can understand Dyche not wanting to change a defensive line-up that has been performing well recently, but Branthwaite is seen as Everton’s most valuable asset and there will be many who would like to see him return at the weekend.

“It’s safe to say there are going to be interesting selection dilemmas for the Blues boss”.

Jarrad Branthwaite is still one of the best players at Everton

If the start of the 2024/25 season showed Toffees fans anything, it’s how much they missed having their star boy in the centre of their defence.

Everton had one of the worst starts in the Premier League this season and while things have picked up a bit recently, with the team even going on a five-game unbeaten streak, fans have still been left wanting more.

Dwight McNeil has been one of Dyche’s stand-out players this term and if he keeps up his level of form and Branthwaite also manages to find his feet once he’s been reintegrated, things could change dramatically for Dyche.

The former Burnley manager’s future is still up in the air with the Friedkin Group set to take over control of the club from Farhad Moshiri imminently.

If Dyche can guide the club away from a relegation battle and into a mid-table spot, it could well give him more time to prove his worth and allow him to perhaps keep his role.

In other Everton news, Michael Ball has shared what Sean Dyche needs to do in order to beat West Ham.

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